The9

Poyet judging by that, can see Redknapp getting the boot pretty sharpish this time if QPR look even remotely like they did last time around too.

Just checked and it's still 230mm for replica numbers and 258mm for players' numbers, even though they changed the actual material the numbers are made from from 2013/14 (everything's PS-Pro plastic now)

Like my "much better quality" adidas shorts from last season.

Yeah, mine wasn't aimed at you either!

It's what you'd do if you have a striker who can run into the box after passing it wide instead of ambling up for one stood up to the back stick. His ability to run with the ball and beat people has also not been overlooked.

Thorpie. You see that "Edit Post" button next to "Reply"? You could use that.

I think you've been pretty reasonable and balanced in putting across your opinions. I don't necessarily agree with all of them, but I don't think you've overreacted.

It's not embarrassing because he's really not that good, QPR are paying him way more than any reasonable Saints fan would want us to pay him, and we also didn't want him either. In fact, this thread is a useful barometer of wettery.

Or even Veggard? Can't wait for his debut. Putting that one down to Cortese wanting a visit to the fjords.

Agreed that it's a thin line between signing players with potential and adding quantity over quality, but I think both could be on the right side of that, and at least we're not overpaying for Fer or something.

Why do we have to be "struggling to do something" in order to be refusing to pay a price?

I would change my username.

If we only sign 5, realistically I'm going to want them to be De Gea, Thiago Silva, Rojo, Bale and Messi. Because we needed 5 before we even lost any.

Since about 2006.

After only a handful of players managing to do so prior to the 2000s, the glut of recent players reaching 100 caps says more about the problems within the English game than anything else - they're not playing more international games than their predecessors per season, they're just getting to hang around longer because there's no-one being given the chance to replace them.

Actually we beat Chelsea with Yoshida and Hooiveld in central defence, and Kelvin in goal for the second half. Luckily they had Torres up front for 90 minutes rather than someone with pace in behind or excellent aerial ability, and didn't attempt to play the ball over the top of us.

Who we signed for £8m 12 months ago. Which would give me a bit more faith in the scouting network - though obviously the ideal is to keep someone we already know works within our system as opposed to one who might not.

We still don't have to sell him, and particularly not to them. Simple enough.

I'd say we can't afford NOT to, and should have done it at least once already. We're paying plenty of people who don't pay, one more won't make any difference. As soon as his longer term career looks impacted and there's no way he can be transferred, he'll soon come around.

Ah, THAT'S why all the crap about "our position softening" has appeared.

We will become cool-beard hipster footballsters, revelling in our quirkiness. Against Modern Football, Except When It Benefits Us Like With The Academy Rules.

Mostly fair comment, but had we actually qualified for Europa League, do you think that would have placated a few of the departees for another year, giving us the chance to build further, rather than the current struggle to consolidate? I was all in favour of jumping straight to the CL personally, but as soon as we lost to Arsenal and got a few injuries it became obvious we didn't have any depth beyond a very good first team, and that wasn't going to happen. The refusal to attempt to win the FA Cup in the face of all evidence looks stupider by the day.

They are also smaller than the player numbers.

Those numbers look tiny.

Cortese certainly encouraged a lot of the younger players to signup with the same agency, don't know if that was the case for existing players or signings we brought in - I suspect that would be a little more acrimonious.